Frozen Under
by MysteryFictions
Summary: During Bucky's captivity under Hydra supervision, he befriends Johann Schmidt's daughter, Marina and becomes in love with her. Some things can't last forever, but in this case seventy years is a very long time for love to never end. And it doesn't.
1. Prologue

**So I have just recently seen the Civil War movie and I loved it so much I wanted to write a fanfiction for it. I will not be continuing this, however, until the summer because I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. Plus, I am currently writing on other fanfictions, so I am making time for this one as soon as June. Tell me if you guys like it and I will continue it. :) Enjoy!**

 **Prologue**

"I am sorry that they are doing this to you." She said and for a moment he thought it was genuine, but it couldn't be. A gal like her, a beauty like her, just had to be sympathizing with the enemy; her blue eyes were soft, but stern and serious, her face framed by a mess of blonde strands, the rest pinned up in a tidy bun. She was in a fresh pair of green cargo pants and a long sleeved white button up shirt. She stood in what appeared to be an uncomfortable position, but in other ways seemed second nature to her and her alone. Her back arched slightly, black boots pressed together and chest puffed out in an attempt to intimidate.

Bucky smiled at her from his place in the cell, perched on the edge of metal slab. He was leaning forward on his knees, a cut across his left brow and clothes ripped up from the perilous struggle he put against Hydra. He was sleepy, but still resilient. His arm gone and a metal one put in its place, but he was still Bucky.

"Yeah nice joke doll." He saw her jaw tighten and her eyes lessen in their softness. Her fists clenched at her sides and her lips partially his between her teeth. For a moment he wondered what expression this was and realized that she was pouting, the German girl was pouting like a little baby. It was kind of cute, but Bucky was not going to lighten up even if she was prettier than most of the gals he spent his time with.

"It is not a joke." She sternly replied, he snorted before leaning back into the concrete wall behind him, more light leaking onto his features. "If you do not wish to accept my puty than you shall not have it." Bucky's eyebrow raised as he tried to contain his amusement.

"Did you just say 'puty'?" Her cheeks turned a bright red and her face contorted into rage.

"Yes, puty. Is that not an American word?"

"It's actually pity, doll and since you didn't get it straight the first time around I have pity for you." Her stance was broken and she crossed her arms, nose crinkling just slightly. Maybe Bucky would enjoy being in captivity by Hydra after all, if he was at least getting entertained...

"Well you know what?"

"What?" Bucky mocked, raising his chin and getting into this heated argument. He had never felt so excited before in his life.

"Your stupid language is so hard to speak, no wonder only idiots speak it." His smile slowly deteriorated into a frown and he stood up from the slab, stepping over to the bars and gripping them.

"Now you take that back, there are a lot of smart people that speak my language, sweetheart. Smarter than your people." She grinned at the fact that she had gotten to him somehow, he must have been very patriotic.

"Yeah nice joke, _Soldat Junge_." Her tongue swirled around her outer lips. "German is full of such unique quality, while you English people threw a whole bunch of languages together to make something so abstract it could hardly be recognized as a language itself."

"Well aren't you patriotic." He retorted.

"You're one to talk." She hadn't realized how close she had gotten to the bars of the cell, his face pushing between them to get closer to her.

"Listen doll, I don't know what planet you came from, but English has been around for centuries." She hunched forward with a mocking simper and parted lips.

"German has been around longer." She whispered and he was about to lean forward, take her lips and smooch in a desperate attempt for dominance and control. But the doors into the room of the cell slid open with a hiss and in walked the Red Skull with several guards following. Bucky watched as the girl cowered away and returned to her former dull self.

His hands slowly fell from the bars and backed away back onto the slab. Bucky knew this man and he knew it was not good that this man knew him. Johann Schmidt. He was the man that Steve had mentioned, the man that they were trying to stop, the leader of Hydra. Red Skull stopped in front of her and scrutinized her from afar.

"What are you doing here, _engel_?"

"I was instructed to watch the prisoner, _vater_." Her voice was much more monotone than before, less full of emotion and less sweet. The Red Skull turned to face his subjects with a look of aggravation.

"Who instructed my daughter to watch the American?" No one answered, a tiny man standing off to the side with blonde hair and glasses tremble slightly in fear. "Who?!" Red Skull demanded more loudly, the girl flinched, but did not move. The two soldiers separated, an officer stood behind them who had just entered the room. He gulped audibly before taking a brave step closer to his leader.

"I did, sir."

"And who gave you permission to order my daughter around? Much less leave her with such scum?" His daughter closed her eyes and she angled her head down, almost in pain. Bucky felt the need to comfort her, but the bars and everything else in the universe prevented him front doing so.

"I-I am sorry, sir."

"DO NOT SAY YOU ARE SORRY TO ME! Say it to my daughter." The officer held back sobs, he looked up at the girl and sighed.

"I apologize."

"I forgive you." She muttered, Red skull clenched his fists, his gloves so taut a squeak was heard.

"Leave." He ordered to the officer, sparing his life for the sake of his daughter's innocent eyes.

"Hail Hydra!" The officer bellowed, wasting no time exiting the room, all the while Bucky watching with intrigue. Red Skull rose a hand up to grab his daughter's chin and raise her eyes up towards his.

"Go to your room until I call for you. This business is not yours, Marina." She could not protest so she simply nodded.

"Yes, vater." She said, starting towards the door as she left completely she turned to stare at Bucky. A shy smile formed on her lips and as to not draw attention he did not return it, but he wanted to. She waved and he made a subtle nod, his attention went back to Red Skull. He hope that would not be the last he saw of Marina. And it wasn't.

Bucky went through as the days progressed, but he would expect nothing less from Hydra. He had been interrogated and throughly examined by the professor through mental and physical tests. He was confused, alone, and exhausted. They gave him medication despite his ever growing fight against them, but it was pointless. Bucky tried his best to fight, but they kept him so locked up that there was no purpose. He fought back anyways.

Somewhere after about a week the door sifted open, at first he figured a guard or the professor, since his food wasn't due for another hour. He sat up from the slab and paused at the sight before him. It was neither. It was Marina dressed in a dark green dress that ended at her knees. She stood in front of the bars silently, but curiously inspecting him. He had dark circles under his eyes and his short hair was sweaty, sticking to parts of his forehead. He was shirtless, picking his shirt up off the floor and throwing it on due to proper etiquette in the presence of a lady.

He stepped closer towards the bars, his bare feet patting against the concrete. His lips quirked up and she returned it, she didn't say anything, so he decided to speak first.

"That's a nice dress you have there, doll."

"Oh..." She averted her eyes and flattened her palms over the skirt of the dress. "My father is having associates over. He prefers I look presentable."

"Do you always listen to your father?" She sauntered over to the bench across the cell and sat down, she was smirking and blushing all over.

"Not always. I really shouldn't be here as it is."

"What will happen if he finds out?" She eventually became stale again, her smile gone along with her shy and somewhat joking personality. She stood up and quickly started for the door. "Wait." She stopped and barely looked over her shoulder at him. "Why did you come to see me?" She didn't move and instead went back over to the bench, sitting down and resting her hands on her legs.

"I have never met a man my age before who isn't in Hydra and those who are, are rather dull." She began, he cocked his head to the side. "I have never met an American before either and you are handsome and funny, and I like you. I am interested in talking to you before you are gone."

"Gone? What do you mean?"

"Well, you see my father expects Zemo to complete a project, he wants to make a super soldier of some sorts..."

"Like Steve?" She didn't know who he was, but nodded regardless. She knew of Captain America and assumed that was him.

"Yes and you will be the subject."

"I am going to assume that you shouldn't be telling me this."

"I also shouldn't be here, but look at where I am." She turned red in the cheeks again and Bucky chuckled, soon she followed and laughter filled the room.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to talk to you. My name is James, but everyone calls me Bucky."

" _Soledad Junge_." She repeated the same phrase she had said the first day they met.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means soldier boy." She chortled, Bucky bit his bottom lip and nodded.

"Soldier boy, huh? I like that, doll." He accentuated the nickname doll and from then on determined that she definitely did not belong with Hydra. With every meeting, with every time she would choose to come see him, he would learn a little about her and she about him. It was sweet the questions she would ask and the interest she would show. Sometimes she would sit against the bars and he would to, their backs facing one another and they would just talk to each other about their likes and dislikes, pasts and presents, nearly everything that came to their mind. But sometimes they would argue and she would leave and not come back for weeks. He missed her those times. It wasn't until six months later did he realize he was in love with her.

"So why do you put up with your father?"

"I know what you think about him, but he is a good man he just does..." She shrugged, appearing ignorant on the subject. "Bad things."

"Bad people do bad things sweetheart. You should have a guy who cares about you by now, a nice house with a couple of kids." She laughed and shook her head.

"I am not interested in anything like that. I wouldn't mind having someone to hold me in their arms though."

"I would puty the man who has to do that." She rolled her eyes and he looked down on his lap to fiddle with his thumbs. She had been showing up less and less recently, it was worrying him because he liked having her around. She was the only normalcy in his life now, she reminded him of home.

"Would you really? I think you think I am pretty." She teased, beginning a fit of giggles.

"Pretty would be an..." He pretended to find the right word. "Understatement in comparison to your real beauty." She stopped laughing, her lips forms a straight line and her eyes widened as if that was not the answer she expected.

"Do you say that to all the girls?" She asked, hopping for a less serious answer. Bucky stood up from the slab and went up to the bars, leaning his forehead against them.

"No." He sternly confirmed her suspicions and her heart swelled with both adoration and fear. She wasn't sure what this feeling was, but it must had been something he was feeling to.

"It is good..." She nervously squirmed in her seat. "Talking to you. I like it." That was when Bucky realized she had never flirted before, it seemed as if she had been teasing him this entire time, but in reality she didn't know what she was doing.

"Have you ever gone dancing?" She shook her head and Bucky sighed.

"When I get out of here, I will take you dancing. Just you and me."

"What makes you think you will get out?"

"They can't keep me in here forever and when I am out of these bars, I am going to save you. I am gonna save you from this place and show you what a real life is like." Her hands fisted at her dress, she started wearing a different one every time now. He loved every dress that she wore because it always looked exquisite on her.

"Can I-" She closed her eyes and sucked her bottom lip in frantically. "Can I kiss you?" She finished shakily, her eyes opened to stare blankly at the floor.

"Sure." Bucky acted like it wasn't the biggest thing in the world, but ever since he first met her he wanted to touch her lips and kiss her passionately as a man should. She stood up awkwardly and walked over to the cell till she was just an inch from the bars and Bucky did the same leaning against them and giving her a cheeky grin.

"I have never kissed someone before."

"Well, I guess it's a good thing I will be your first."

"Are you good at it?"

"Why don't you decide?" She closed her eyes and leaned forward, puckering her lips. Bucky couldn't wait any longer and swiftly closed the distance between them. Electricity circuiting through their body as their lips met, she instinctively opened her mouth and along with her lips moved their tongues. Her hands shot up to grab the straps of his tank top, pulling him through the bars to bring him closer. Her head tilted and his hands gripped the bar with a vice grip to keep from grabbing her.

They both pulled away breathlessly, faces only an inch apart, she released his tank top.

"I have been wanting to do that for a while." She whispered shyly, he licked his lips tasting the fruity juices that must have came from lunch or breakfast. Bucky couldn't reply, he was too dumbstruck, never has a kiss put him in such a trance. She moved her head closer to start another kiss, but the sifting of the doors startled them both.

They looked over to find the Red Skull and Zemo standing beside him. Marina's eyes widened and she backed away from the cage.

"What is this Marina?! I thought you were at dance practice!"

" _Vater_ , please let me explain!" Two guards entered the room and Red Skull gestures towards the cell.

"Take him out."

"No _vater_ , don't! Please!" One guard was instructed to hold her back and forcefully escort her from the room. She struggled so hard, Bucky was torn from the cell and kicked in the face. "Vater, no! Stop this!"

"I will punish you later, Marina." He promised with a firm finger as she was pulled past him outside of the room.

" _Ich liebe dich_ Bucky!" Were the last words she said before the doors closed behind her.


	2. Awakens

**So here is the chapter everyone has been waiting for. I hope it isn't too slow and if it is, things will start to heat up. ;) Enjoy!**

 **And I didn't realize I had made a mistake with the professor's name in the first chapter. His name is actually Arnim Zola, not Zemo. I don't where I am getting Zemo from. lol. I can't believe I just now realized that because I love the comics. Shame on me. And also, when did Captain America become the leader of freaking Hydra? So angry about that Comic Book...**

 **Anyways...**

 **Everything in Italics is another language from English as is in the first chapter**

 **Chapter 1: Awakens**

 **1991**

A cold consumed her, pulling her from a drowsy state. Her eyes flickered open to reveal a cyan blue and long blonde hair matted against her forehead and cheeks. She fell forward onto her knees, sucking in heavy breathes of air and choking on the oxygen that came soaring into her aching lunges. Her body trembled with a fierce shiver, a towel was dropped before her and she shakily looked up at the man who had thrown it there.

He towered over her in a full spetnaz uniform, black boots glistening with cleanliness and proper uniform regulation. His brown hair slicked back and topped with a red barrette. A sign that he was of high stature, a General.

"Can you understand me?" His English was broken in Russian Accent, but it wasn't any better than her own. She sat back on her knees and grabbed the towel, wrapping it around her naked body, her eyes cautiously flitting around the room.

"Yes." She groggily replied, her German accent was heavy and exhausted, but also contained a hint of rage and resentfulness.

"Do you know where you are?" He began to walk a circle around her, inspecting her from all angles. She was toned, scars running down her back from her horrid past that no one should live through, but the scars will always seem fresh and more would take their place. The signature Hydra symbol tattooed into the skin of her upper left shoulder, barely hidden by wavy strands. "I am General Hurkis. Answer me. Do you know where you are?" She looked around curiously, she was in a circular room, Hydra guards surrounding the circumference of it. Double doors across from the tube she had just been released from. It was dark despite the lighting from above, it was not a place she could recognize.

"No." She blinked and tilted her head to reduce the stress on her neck, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on the throbbing in her temples.

"Who are you?"

"Marina Schmidt, daughter of Johann Schmidt, leader of Hydra." There was a lengthy silence before Harkis had stopped in front of her again.

"Not anymore. Now I am in charge and you are my soldier." Her eyes narrowed darkly on him and she managed her best to pull herself to her feet. She tilted her chin up, still holding the towel against her breasts.

"I have always been a soldier, but not to you or anyone for that matter. Where is my father?"

"I will tell you in time. For now..." He held a hand out and a guard nearby stepped forward placing a set of white folded clothes in his hand. He pushed them into her chest, she flinched, taking them hesitantly. "Let me show you where you are."

Marina dressed in the clothes that were given to her; a long sleeved pajama shirt that was bigger than her frame and white baggy pants. After the General began leading her down a hallway. The metal was cold against her feet and eyes hard on her as she passed multiple unfamiliar faces. She recognized the facility, but only figments of memory came to her, for some reason those memories made her head throb and her stomach churn.

"My father had business deals here, will I see him?" She asked as they walked side by side down the hall.

"No. You shall not. Your father was killed by Captain America years ago while you were frozen in the capsule." She stopped walking beside him, processing the information for a moment. Harkis stopped as well, glaring at her with annoyance, his jaw tightened. She kept her eyes on the floor as she tried, as she thought hard to remember her past. To remember anything.

"Why did my father put me under?" She muttered as she brought her hands up to look at her palms. Flashbacks of the horrible things they had done to her came roaming over her and she nearly screamed at how intense and real they felt. Her hand shot up to go to her back and she slid her hands under the collar of the shirt to feel the indentations of scars in her skin. Her chest rose and fell with heavy breathes, wide eyes to accompany a feeling of shock and betrayal.

"You were sick terminally. Your father used the serum to keep you from dying."

"But once the Serum worked he had sent me somewhere, to be trained." He nodded his head, still not facing her, she bit her bottom lip.

"Yes, but your training was not complete when you were put under." An image of a whip hitting her back swiftly ran through her thoughts, she forced it away, hoping she would never have to feel that pain again.

"Show-" Her bottom lip trembled and she wrapped her arms around herself. "Show me more." She demanded, Harkis began walking down the hall again and this time, she followed without hesitation.

"There are others like you, others that Hyrda has created. But you will only come to know one other?"

"One other?" She tried to remember who that might be, but she couldn't. He stopped in front of a door, entering a code, the door slid open to reveal a familiar man strapped to a leather chair at the center of the room. He was shirtless, a thin sheet of sweat covering his chiseled chest and long hair coming from his head to his shoulders. Brown leather straps wrapped around his wrists, his right arm replaced by a metal one and dark eyes to accommodate his overall intimidating appearance.

"This is our super soldier, you might remember him." It immediately hit her like a nonstop train pounding through her insides and caused her a split second of emotional distress. She remembered him. How could she ever forget the only man she had ever truly fallen in love with? Her first love and her first broken heart. He was perhaps the only thing that she could sort out in her brain, make sense of and evaluate with little consternation.

"Bucky..." She muttered under her breath and went running towards him. No one tried to stop her because of this part of her had warned herself away from the man strapped to the chair like an animal, but she ignored them. She pulled at his restraints, fumbling with them in panic, but as she broke him free from the leather straps his metal hand shot out and grabbed her throat. The guards in the room raised their guns and clicks were heard as they aimed their weapons at Bucky. She grabbed his hand firmly by the wrist, his fingers applying a slight pressure, but surprisingly not enough to kill her. Almost as a warning. A warning she could see in his eyes.

"What has happened to you?" She whispered, bringing her other hand up to his cheek to calm him, to feel him; the stubble surrounding his firm jaw, the distress that was evident within his soul. She wanted to love him again, but her personality was not the same and she had been shaped into something she could not remember. She didn't know who she was, what she was, how she fit into this any further.

"He doesn't remember you." Harkis chuckled. "Isn't it amazing. He is under our control. He doesn't remember a thing of his past, a blank slate for us to build on." Bucky leaned his head away from her hand, closing his eyes in what could only be described as a coping mechanism. He was coping with what they wanted him to be, how they wanted him to act.

"You have trapped him, you have changed the man I knew..." Slowly the pressure against her neck dissipated and his hand dropped from her neck, his eyes not meeting hers. "He is almost gone."

"No, he is gone. We have made sure of it. We say the magic words and he is at our command." Bucky glanced up, but did not raise his head. She saw a darkness in his eyes that soaked past the heavy strands hanging over them, it had frightened her. She stepped away from him in disbelief, her father had promised to make mindless soldiers and he did. She felt a hatred inside, in her heart and she did not know what it was. Was it the realization that Bucky would not love her the same again? Or maybe it was something else completely? The realization that she would end up like this also, have no free train of thought any longer? The idea that her father was the cause of all of this? Was the reason that this man would never be that same eccentric soldier she had met?

"What do you plan to do with me?" She was looking at her hands again, heedlessly trying to find something that wasn't there.

"We plan to finish training you and this soldier will be the one to do it. In time, when you are prepped, we will call for you and you will work for us." She shot her gaze up to stare ahead of her, hands turning into fists and pressing against her collarbone.

"I do not wish to fight this any further. It is not my war." She snarled, a hint of something completely monstrous beneath her words.

"It is not your decision and besides the Americans won the war already, we just wish to enact our revenge." He hissed, placing a hand on her arm and pulling her towards him.

"I will not." He grunted his disapproval and as he stepped away two guards took his place and moved to grab her. She was harshly snatched by the forearm and tugged towards the door. A fist came plummeting towards the one guard's chest sending him flying back into the wall and a heavy boot kicked the other away, she stumbled backward onto the floor.

It was Bucky, he stood between Harkis and her, so tall and strong, he could very well pass as a brick wall. The other guards in the room were prepared to fire at Harkis' orders. Not that they hadn't already been tested to pull their triggers before.

" _This is not your place soldier, stand aside._ " Russian. The language that Marina was never allowed to learn. Any language that wasn't German was banned from her ears, from her lips, from her textbooks, and from her peers. She tried hard not to reflect on how racist her father was in this moment, but she couldn't help it. She wished she could understand the General, even more so she wished could understand how Bucky knew what the General was even saying.

Bucky was hesitant, unable to make a quick enough decision. She tried to contain the relief within her. The fact that he had protected her in some manner was enough to prove that he still was in there, that the man that had promised her to a dance was alive. She picked herself up off the ground and stepped closer to stand behind Bucky, his hand grabbed her hip and held her there. His eyes glaring directly at Harkis, not once flinching or leaving, not once backing down. She did not see Harkis tremble under Bucky's gaze, but she could feel it and she knew it. She even shook slightly at how defiant the gaze was and by Harkis' expression it was a usual occurrence.

" _IF YOU DO NOT STAND ASIDE, I WILL HAVE MY MEN FIRE!_ " Harkis threatened, Marina placed a hand over Bucky's metal bicep and gently caressed down till she could grab his hand. She stalked around him to stand in front of him and nodded her head, stepping away she moved to leave with Harkis. Bucky's metal hand would not let go, she paused to gaze up into his eyes.

 _"Where do I know you from?"_ She didn't know where he had learned Russian, it scared her that could possibly be the only means to how they converse. She could either tell him in English and only rise a conflict within himself, or she could keep her lips shut tight. Not utter a word of the past. Besides the love that she once had for him was empty as was his eyes. The eyes of Hydra.

"I don't know." She barely muttered with a shurg, Bucky's hand let her go and he returned back to his seat at the chair as though she had never said a word, as though this meeting meant nothing to him. She answered in truth to both her consciousness and her knowledge of the Russian language. She didn't know Russian and she didn't know the answer to whatever question he may have asked. Harkis and Marina left to start the tests on her and give her a physical examination, while Bucky was strapped back into his chair and left there in deep thought, all she could think about was him. The whole reason she breathed was because of him.


	3. Tutelage

**Chapter 2: Tutelage**

She was slammed back into the blue mat, his metal fist came rushing down towards her face and she rolled away. She arched up onto her feet, but was too slow and his fist was back again, punching upwards into her gut. She grabbed his shoulder with a vice grip and squeaked, he punched again and she grabbed his fist with her other hand, swinging around his body and pulling his head into a lock. He ran backwards slamming her against the metal wall, she released him. Sliding down against it, he turned to crouch and grab her throat. Lifting her up with ease, her eyes popped open and she snatched his wrist pulling on it no matter how meaningless it seemed.

His grip intensified and his eyes darkened as he leaned closer to her, she squeezed her eyes shut and began making loud sifted sounds of tortured breathes.

" _Soldier. That will be enough._ " Bucky's grip immediately released and she fell onto the floor on her knees and palms, gasping for breath and choking on the air that came souring through her lunges. She fell onto the ground and rolled onto her back, staring up at the black splotches of near death veering at the corner of her eyes. A bright red hand print stuck onto the soft skin of her neck. " _Stand up._ " Commander Rorik ordered and by now Marina had learned enough Russian to understand.

In Marina's mind Rorik was worse than General Hurkis, who she had absolutely no respect for. Rorik was the man who had surfaced much of the training that had been beaten into her before she was put under. These memories and patterns could only be refueled by the harsh lashes of a whip and Rorik was not hesitant to give them.

Marina shakily pushed herself up, coughing and tenderly caressing her fingers over her now swollen throat. Blood trickled from her bottom lip, which was split open by the many punches given by Barnes. One eye was surrounded by purple and border lining that point of never being able to open ever again. Her right cheek protruding out, also swollen. As for the other wounds and bruises from training and punishments, they were covered by the long sleeved black shirt that she had been given and compression leggings.

Bucky adorned a black tank top and a pair of green shorts, they appeared odd compared to what he usually wore. Marina stood up, but did not raise her gaze, Bucky stopped himself alongside her and blankly stared ahead.

The Commander stepped forward to stand in front of Marina. He was a tall man, but hardly as tall as Bucky and not half as intimidating. His eyes were blue and his hair blonde with tints of grey. A scar came from his chin and up towards the right corner of his forehead, giving his right eye a deadly abstract look from the rest of his face. But not the rest of his personality. As far as Marina knew she was afraid of getting whipped, so she listened, so she cowered.

" _Pathetic. Must I whip you again?"_ Marina said nothing, all that could be heard was her ragged breathes. The Commander shook his head and looked toward Bucky, who had been ready to comply since Rorik had called the end of the match.

" _Soldier, session has ended today lead on towards the Laboratory._ " Bucky nodded, Marina kept her head down in both shame and agitation. She could beat him, she could really beat him. She just needed some more time. She silently followed after Bucky at the harsh gaze of the Commander.

It had been a month since Bucky and her had started training and the Bucky that she thought she had seen after she was awakened was absent the entire time. He **seemed** absent, but as the days went on it was as if he wasn't there at all. Not a morsel of the real man left. It was a man that her father had bred, not a good man, but not a bad one. How she thought he wasn't all that bad was due to the fact that Bucky had **nearly** killed her nine times over since they had started training a week prior and yet she was still alive. He could easily snap her neck, break her ribs, yet all he left behind was her spared life; a couple of purple splotches on the skin, split lips, cuts. She held hope with the thought that perhaps if she was anyone else, he would kill her. Some part of her wished the reason he hadn't killed her was because he still remembered her. But it was only a thought, a thought she held onto.

Hydra had decided not to put her under their full control. They figured the daughter of Johann Schmidt would be valuable eventually, but in order for her to be valuable she needed to be conscious. That meant that she had to undergo all they had put her through and since she was owned by them, she could not protest. To her dismay she had already lost that conscious thought, it was the routine. She had noticed it into the third day, she had lost all care for herself, for her once great aspirations, her once great triumphs. At first she had planned to escape, but the thought dissipated shortly after the routine was put in place. Training. Examinations. Testing. Food. Sleep. Repeat. She had already lost. She was already under their control.

The only thing that kept her going every day, although cheesy, was the fact that Bucky was alive. He was alive and after all these years she had thought he was dead. Some dark night in the weeks of lonely despair she had wondered if he had died. If the Bucky she was seeing everyday was merely a vessel, an image, a shell.

 _"Stand still, Schmidt."_ The doctor said as he had put the needle into her mid arm, but she didn't need chiding. She was already still, staring blankly ahead into an empty concrete wall across the metal exam table. Bucky was sitting on another table beside her, enduring the same amount of treatment. They would always check after Training, check for what? She was too afraid to ask. She didn't want to know what they needed her blood for, why they stuck a needle in her arm every day and injected some unknown substance into her veins that made her skin tingle and her heart beat quicken. By now it had become second nature, she use to feel everything, now she feels nothing.

 _"Remove your Shirt."_ The doctor ordered, she pulled her tank top over her head. Careless to the many eyes in the room, revealing the multiple scars and bruises they had already seen, some new and others invisible. The doctor began pressing at her skin with his white gloves, looking over his glasses with a firm gaze and turning her insides to plastic with dehumanizing words.

 _"A pretty face to an ugly body, what a shame."_ The doctor states with some version of his own pity on her soul and she blocks him out. She didn't have a pretty face, it was bruised and cut up by the man sitting at the table beside her. The doctor's pity was very present in his words, but it was so false, it was so much of a facadé. She feels nothing.

After examinations finish, tests are ran: cardio, strength, mentality, to set standards. They can't have weak super soldiers running around doing their dirty work. They can't have weak soldiers. Period. When tests were complete, Marina's favorite part of the day would be Lunch. As that is the only meal of the day Bucky and her operate on. After Training she is starved and exhausted, her blood sugar low, her body caving in on itself, on its own bones, but they could care less. Bucky seems more accustomed to one meal a day, he appears fine even when they skip Lunch from time to time and turn to starving them. Usually they would eat their meals at one specific table that sits in the middle of a caged in area. And usually there would be Hydra soldiers carrying heavy weapons surrounding this area. Usually it was quiet and uneventful. Today was different.

It was silent, Bucky was always silent, but this silence was alive. It filled her ears, it was a sound that brought a feeling to her. She looked up from the metal platter of stale toast and mashed potatoes, up towards Bucky with his dark eyes and he was glaring at her. His food untouched, sweat dripping down his forehead and lips pursed in deep thought. She was so lost in those eyes that she hardly noticed the General enter the cage. He who hardly ever care for their condition unless he needed them. He had needed Bucky once, but he said nothing about why he needed him. It always went that way, the less one knew the better.

" _Attention_." Both Bucky and Marina stood up in unison, they remained with stark faces of strict demeanor; beaten into Bucky by control, beaten into Marina by physical punishment. " _I have a very important mission for both of you._ "

" _Ready to comply._ " Bucky replied, Marina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. This was her nightmare, she knew this day would come, but the anxiety of it all was hitting her harder than she had anticipated.

"S _it. Both of you._ " Marina sat down immediately, the awkwardness of being in the limelight made her nervous. Bucky sat down at his place, but he remained staring straight ahead. Blank. The General stood at the edge of the table, hands crossed behind his back, posture straight. One hand reached out behind him, holding a dossier folder. He placed it down in front of him on the table, sliding it over to Marina. Marina was afraid to accept it, hoping that it would be given as an optional mission. Then she felt ashamed, ashamed to leave the more likely horrible details of the mission in Bucky's hands. She looked up at Bucky, who was staring straight ahead. Blank.

"Marina, read the name to him." It was pointless talking to Bucky in American now, but the General knew Russian and he sure as hell could read a name. So why was he asking her to say it? Perhaps it was to improve the Russian she had been teaching herself these past few weeks. She didn't tear her gaze from Bucky, who remained almost completely oblivious to her presence. But she knew, she knew that Bucky was listening and without needing to see her, watching.

She was numb, turning her head down to look over the dossier. She opened it and bit her bottom lip, eyes shooting up to his face. She was hoping for some sort of reaction, something, anything. Her finger caressed the edge of the parchment before staring back down into the timeless face, no questions needed to know that this was a target mission.

The man in the picture was built; a strong chin adorning the shape of his face, his uniform in tidy condition. A set of medals and shiny shoes to match the shimmering finish of his unmarred facial features. He was obviously rich and military oriented. His hair was brown, flashes of grey sideburns, and brown eyes. A flashy woman stood beside him; blond hair, big bust, plastic features, and a red dress to top it off. Marina wanted to question the merit of this mission, but was worried it would end up with more whippings.

She scanned over the brief summary of the subject and cleared her throat.

"Rick Stoner."

"Age." The General continued, starting to pace around the table.

" _Forty-Six, Sir._ " She said this in the clearest Russian she could, glancing up at Bucky, who by now was glaring directly at her.

"Race."

" _White, Sir._ "

"Otherwise known as..."

" _Colonel, Sir._ " Marina closed her eyes, her hands were shaking. The look that Bucky was giving her was of clear and obvious hatred. But why did she have to read the information ? The General stopped at the end of the table, looking between both Bucky and Marina, he nodded his head.

" _This is the mission we will be assigning both of you as of now. Tonight you both will be going to New York, where tomorrow you will attend a ball._ " Marina felt her stomach drop, she did not want to do any of this, she did not want to be their puppet. She looked down at her tray of food in pity of herself, too weak to look up at her superior. " _Do not kill the target. He has specific information leading to the whereabouts of Hydra weaponry within S.H.I.E.L.D. Find this information and then eliminate the subject. I expect this mission to take a week tops._ "

" _Yes, Sir._ " Both Bucky and Marina said in unison, Bucky practically shouted it while Marina held a nearly mute tone.

" _A hotel room will be provided, along with data that will assist in your mission."_

 _"You both will be groomed to look your parts._ Marina _, the file._ " Marina flipped up a few pages, where she found several other pieces of information on the mission. She also spotted two identification cards and two passports, she picked up the card that carried her photo and shakily shifted Bucky's card over to him. " _Congratulations._ " The General said with mock enthusiasm, he crossed his arms and managed an awkward smile in Marina's direction. " _You both are happily married,_ Mr _and_ Mrs. Smith _._ " He snarled. " _Not that he cares very much._ " He jokingly referred to Bucky's clouded consciousness, the control that Hydra had over him. Marina nibbled on her bottom lip, her finger caressing the card. " _Report to reconditioning. They will prepare you._ " The General turned on his heel to leave.

" _Sir, permission to speak._ " Marina spoke aloud, the General paused and looked over his shoulder.

" _Permission granted._ "

" _What if we do not find the information you require?_ " She gulped audibly, he snidely grinned.

" _Punishment will be given accordingly. We can't have loose ends,_ Mrs. Schmidt _._ " He stated at her blank expression, but he could see her fear and she knew he could. " _Am I clear?_ "

" _Yes, Sir._ " Marina was suddenly not so hungry anymore, she didn't finish her Lunch. After, Bucky and her went to reconditioning, where Marina had found herself the first day she had woken up, they were undressed and the process began. They do anything needed to make whoever is undergoing it appear as they see fit. Bucky was put in a separate room, although Marina was curious as to what an actual naked man in real life looked like, she was pleased that Hydra had enough respect for her own modesty. Either that or they just wanted to have separate genders to separate rooms; always so in control.

They had placed her in a room with a shower and the necessary products to make herself look 'presentable' as they had requested. But they did not ask the guards to leave and so she was watched as she showered, shaved her legs, her private, her armpits. As she lathered her torn up body with soap that smelled of peaches. She enjoyed it regardless of the countless stares that went her way, she had not once been allowed to manage herself appropriately since she had awakened. Showers: couldn't be any longer than a minute. Shampoo: there was none. Shaving: they never provided her with a razor to do so. Right now, she felt like she could do a million missions. She had never felt so clean and so satisfied. The bruises on her body already healing, along with cuts from earlier in training; perks in being a super soldier.

When she finished she was given actual clothing. Clothing that she was not accustomed to because of modern day fashion, but clothing that didn't itch her skin or was too tight to leave anything to imagination. A pink long sleeved sweater blouse, a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. She was allowed to use perfume and deodorant, in which they had provided. She was allowed to finally look at herself in the mirror, something she hadn't done in decades.

Her face had healed very nicely, but a tiny bit of purple still resided across her left temple. Her usually pale lips, plump and colored by the lipstick they had given her. Her silk hair was brushed and smelled like peaches, no more dead ends as they had trimmed it. Her skin was actually smooth for once and not oily as it had been these past few weeks. And her eyes, no longer seemed so dull by the blackness of this prison, this institution. She felt like she was going to cry, she had never seen herself in such good condition in a long time. She pushed back the tears as Bucky entered the room, expecting to find a refurbished man, but finding a man beyond that expectation.

The stubble was gone, his hair trimmed slightly and put up in a miniature ponytail. He wore a black t-shirt that stuck to his form very nicely, revealing all those taught muscles and veiny biceps that Marina found herself admiring from time to time. His jeans hung over black boots and his belt was a black leather with a silver band. She nearly gasped, catching herself to my draw any attention to her.

He didn't look as satisfied as she had found herself, his eyes were dark and his features gloomy. His fists were clenched at his sides as he stalked over to stand beside Marina. They hadn't covered Bucky's metal arm, perhaps it would pass as a prosthetic. But it appeared very far advanced from the prosthetics that she had seen in her days.

They waited patiently, Commander Rorik brought in two duffle bags, placing hem on the metal table that was at the center of the room.

" _These are your items. Keep them close. Inside Barnes' there is a gun and several munition cartridges, that is the only weapon you are allowed for this mission. You will be escorted outside of the compound, there you will find a carrier plane it will take you to the airport from there you will go to New York. Understood?_ "

" _Yes, Sir._ " They reply in unison.

" _Your passports will be found in the pockets of the bags, along with your IDs and the mission briefing. Dismissed._ " As soon as Rorik had left the room, Bucky had went up to grab the duffle bags. He picked up both of them and threw them over his shoulders carrying them out of the room. Marina nervously followed as they had made their way down the hallway in the direction of the landing bay. She wondered, if Bucky could understand the more complex methods of this mission then possibly he could understand conversation, like the old Bucky. She was too afraid to say anything however. She remained silent while they waited on the landing bay, silent while they entered the plane, and silent on their way to the airport. She was a coward. She was a coward and Bucky knew it. Silence.


	4. Adjustment

**Chapter 3: Adjustment**

Modern day was so beyond her comprehension, as for Bucky, he remained unfazed by how grandiose everything was in this new world. Perhaps it was because he had gone on a previous mission already. Marina's eyes wandered everywhere, she wanted to talk to everyone. Ask why they had these things in their ears and were bobbing their heads, why they chose to wear colorful shoes. Some people even had phones in their hands! Marina had never seen such a thing in her life, she had been so used to calling someone from a phone connected to a wall. Bucky had to grab her wrist and yank her in the right direction several times as they walked through the airport.

She had seen a plane before, she had even seen the more updated versions of Hydra's most top aircrafts, but never had she been inside of an airport. Her pre-super serum life was so consumed by her father's grasp, she was hardly capable of meeting anyone or going anywhere. Her first thought was that it was big, a really big airport in a really big country. The view of Moscow from the airport was extraordinary as well, the sun was setting, highlighting the sky in amazing colors; purples, blues, oranges, and reds.

She had torn herself from Bucky at one point to rush towards the panoramic window and press her cheek against the glass. She had never experienced the sun as she had then. She had never experienced life as she had now. Bucky was nice enough to let her sit there for a few minutes, she assumed that he also was enjoying the remarkable view. Then he tugged her along and they continued to their gate.

There was a lot of work that needed to be done in order to get on the plane. They didn't need to go through security because they already had been cleared by undercover Hydra personnel. But they did have to confirm a lot of information with the flight attendant letting them onto the plane. That was when Marina figured it would be best to learn their roles and play the part better.

Bucky didn't turn from his super soldier strictness once, but after all that Marina had seen she was willing to start a conversation with him. They had found their seats on the plane, Marina holding the dossier tightly in between the pages of a magazine she had found to remain ambiguous. Once seated she began sifting through the extra information within the dossier, looking for anything that could be important to know. She noticed immediately that the seats were close together and crammed, with one large man beside her she was thankful that she was prototype enough to fit between the window and Bucky. She returned to the information, checking Bucky's file first.

" _You are a weapons manufacturer._ " She pointed aloud as the plane made ready for takeoff. Bucky didn't look in her direction or make any sign that he had acknowledged her statement. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, reaching her arm up to tap his shoulder it never made it to its destination. Instead stopped by the firm grip of a metal hand and the harsh glare of dark eyes.

" _Don't touch me._ " He ground out in a low, but firm voice. Her nose wrinkled and his grip loosened, her hand sifted easily from his own and she pointed to the dossier rather shakily.

"Um... Uh... _I was just thinking that it would be important to learn more about ourselves before we_ uh..." She swallowed loudly. " _Continue_." She finished, just as her sentence finished the plane jolted forward and took off in the air. This startled Marina as she wasn't expecting such a jostling lift from the ground. She made a squeak, dropping the dossier onto her lap, her hands grabbing onto anything nearby. It took her a minute or two to calm herself, finally realizing that she had wrapped her arms around Bucky's human arm, which was touching her shoulder. The dossier was resting soundly on her lap, her eyes met Bucky's and a red blush came over her cheeks. She looked away and frowned, pulling her arms off of him and making an attempt to compose herself. He did not remove his gaze from her, it was so hard, so full of hatred that she was about to completely forget the dossier. Until...

" _A Weapons Manufacturer, you say?_ " Bucky began and her eyebrows raised in surprise, some part of her growing excited and more confident with his direct response.

" _Y-Yes._ " She stuttered, scrambling through the pages of content in the dossier and finding what she had seen before. She pointed at his occupation in bold, holding it up for him to see.

" _It doesn't say what weapons I sell._ "

" _Why would that be important?_ " She pulled it closer to her to scan over its contents again, disregarding Bucky's question. He snatched it from her and she flinched away in horror, praying in that split second that he would given her another bruised eye. He scrutinized her for a moment before looking over the dossier himself.

" _It says here that you are a translator._ "

" _What?_ " Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion, that can't be true because she only knew English, German and Russian. Her Russian wasn't the best and her English was so out of tune. German was her strong suit, her natural tongue. How could they make her a translator? " _I only know three languages, I am not even that good at English._ " Bucky didn't seem to care about this, he just dismissively went looking over the words again.

" _I am thirty-two and you are twenty-nine. We met in the Bahamas..._ Hmm" He hummed to himself and she wasn't sure if it was because he was pondering something or had found something interesting.

" _What?_ "

"No _thing._ " Marina crossed her arms and turned her attention towards the landscapes that passed by in the world below. It didn't seem like her world, so high up in the sky, it seemed so distant and untouchable. But her world wasn't untouchable, it was on the verge of destruction and she could see it so clearly. She could escape now, this was her and Bucky's chance, they could leave and never come back. But what about Bucky, he would never be the same Bucky. At least she could have conversations with him, but his expression towards everything was limited. That reminded her, how was she supposed to be his wife if he didn't express that she was his.

"Bucky..." She started, but quickly regretted it when his hand grabbed her knee and squeezed tightly. She grabbed his wrist, trying to let up on the amount of pressure he put on her kneecap. She winced, looking up at him with wide eyes, trying her best to keep quiet. " _I mean_ Sebastian." She hissed out and his grip lightened, his eyes staring straight into her soul.

"Sebastian?"

" _Yes, that is your name. In the file._ " She heaved out, letting out a sigh of relief as he looked back down to the file to approve what she had called him.

" _Your name is Katrina._ " He nodded his head. " _You look like a Katrina._ " Was Bucky teasing her? She wasn't so sure, she would have sworn she caught a smile, but it was to fragile, so impossible to see with the average eye. If Bucky did smile it wouldn't have come as a surprise to her. She felt that just like her, Bucky had also left something back at the Hydra compound. If she could convince Bucky that this was their chance to escape, would he do it? She had to pick a good time to talk to him about it.

Halfway through the plane ride the Flight attendants were handing out free food and drinks. Bucky turned down any offerings, but when Marina realized she couldn't have seconds she urged Bucky to ask for some of the pretzel baggies. Just for her. She hadn't had such tasty treats in a long time and her body definitely needed it for energy. He didn't, however, ask for anything instead claiming that the mission was active and that they needed to focus.

Marina didn't say anything after that, ignoring her rather loud stomach in favor of the beautiful view of the ocean outside her window. No words were exchanged when they landed, they went straight to the hotel. Marina didn't stay silent because Bucky wasn't listening, but because New York City was so big, it was so restless and busy. She loved it in terms of the nice and well-structured buildings, but it was just far too loud and obnoxious for her taste. Bucky acted as though he had been there a million times, he was the whole reason they had made it to the hotel. He called a taxi and had spoken way more English than she had ever heard him say... Well English at all since she had seen him in super soldier mode. It was always Russian, so she was surprised to hear Bucky's native tongue with his actual accent.

In the hotel, Marina realized something was off. It must had been the time, which in the Hydra compound she could never keep track of. But being able to look at a clock and see when you were at where you were, it felt amazing. She realized that when they left Moscow it was night, but now it was early night. America was still going through a day that Moscow had already finished, it made Marina feel like they had gone back in time. That was ironic to her more than anything, considering how futuristic this world was to the one that she knew. She was enjoying this new freedom, almost completely forgetting the mission until she tuned back into the conversation at hand.

"We need two rooms." He said to the woman at the front desk, she gave him a tight knitted smile.

"I am sorry, sir. But Smith is only assigned for one, the suite. If you want to add it will cost-"

"One will be fine." Marina chimed in as best as she could with her German accent, grabbing her bag from Bucky and lopping it over her shoulder, she smiled at him. She was completely oblivious to Bucky's irritation. The woman put the keys to the room in front of Bucky and crossed her fingers into a crown.

"I hope you both have a great day." Bucky was staring at the keys as though they were alien. He bit his bottom lip and steadily picked them up from the desk, moving onwards to the elevator.

In the hotel suite, Marina was admiring everything; the king size bed, the Royal shower and bathtub, the double sinks, the modern tv, the mini kitchen, and the gourmet food cart in the corner. Surprisingly Hydra made their parts very convincing by buying them expensive things alone. She wasn't expecting Hydra to buy the suite, it was probably much better than the measly hotel rooms that occupied the lower floors. She had never stayed in a hotel before and for her first time, she was already extremely comfortable.

The ceilings were high, steps leading up to the gold adorning kind size bed, and the floor was carpeted by a plush white fabric. The walls were painted beige and there was a set of lazy boy chairs in the corner near the mini kitchen, which was open up in the direction of the bed. Tall white double doors led into a bathroom beside the bed; the bathroom was roomy, a shower to right as one entered and a bathtub directly across from the door, to the left were a set of sinks. The walls were imprinted with a repeated pattern of gold seashells and the light emanated from a hanging lamp at the center of the ceiling.

Marina plopped onto the bed with a sigh, her bag dropped to sit beside the bed. Bucky stood at the door, his head was tilted down and his eyes were stone as he glared around the room. She smiled, closing her eyes and propping her hands up behind her head.

" _I will take first shift for watch tonight._ " Bucky said into the sweet silence of the room Marina's smile slowly fell, her eyes cracked open and she sat up on her elbows, looking over at him. He was readying the handgun that was in his bag, loading it and cocking it. He placed it in the back of his pants.

" _What do you mean?_ "

" _We are on a mission. We have to be prepared for anything in the night._ "

"Bu- Barnes..." She corrected herself, sitting up straight on the edge of the bed. " _If we are going to be a married couple we have to act the part. If we are always on high alert, others will get suspicious._ "

" _Are you suggesting we let our guard down, Schmidt?_ " She shivered as he spoke her last name.

" _No, Barnes._ "

" _Get ready for bed. I am turning the lights out in thirty minutes._ " He turned to close the door, Marina stood up and approached him, when he turned she was directly behind him.

" _Barnes... This is our chance. We can be free, we can leave right after tonight and go anywhere in America that we want. They will never hurt us again_." Bucky's eyebrows furrowed as he stared down at Marina, the corner of his lip twitched slightly.

" _Abandon the mission?_ "

" _Yes._ " Marina whispered out, nervously replacing her attention to the floor.

" _Leaving would jeopardize the mission and anything or anyone that puts the mission at stake will be eliminated."_ He said in a monotone voice, Marina felt her heart skip a beat when he stepped much closer. So close that she could feel his breath upon her forehead as he looked down upon her. " _Are we clear, Schmidt?_ "

" _Yes, Sir._ "

" _Get ready for bed._ " Marina complied and she prepared for bed, brushing her teeth, dressing in the pajamas provided for her, and heading to bed as was expected of her. The pajamas were a bit less modest than she had expected them to be, they had an odd smell to them; a pink tank top with black shorts that ended at her thighs. Bucky had made a place on the floor, he did not change into the pajamas provided for him. It was some time late in the night that she had woken up to go to the bathroom, a leisure she was never allowed with Hydra. Bucky was still awake, keeping watch, staring out between the blinds of the window. The moonlight gliding through the slits and lighting up a portion of his face. She felt the need to take his place, if he was so insistent on keeping watch then she would watch also and probably take the shift so he could sleep, but she saw the look in his eyes. He wasn't sleeping not because he wanted to keep watch, but because he couldn't relax. He had too many nightmares. Too many burdens. She went back to sleep that night, but it was a hard task to achieve.


	5. Preparation

**Sorry that it has been a while, I have been extremely busy. I hope this chapter will make up for it.**

 **Chapter 4: Preparation**

"Schmidt." Marina felt a prodding at her shoulder, she groaned her disapproval and waved a hand in its direction. She twisted onto her stomach and snuggled further into the silk sheets with a slight smile. Suddenly, the covers were ripped off of her, a tearing sound resounded through the room. Marina flipped around on the bed with the pull of the covers, eyes wide, chest heaving with bated breath.

Bucky held the sheets up with his metal arm, assessing Marina's figure. She glanced at the analog clock on the oaken end table beside the bed: 4 o' clock. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking around to see if anything was wrong.

"Bucky, _it is so early in the morning_." He didn't seem to apprehend her for calling him by his nickname. He took a deep breath, dropping the sheet and gesturing to the floor in front of the bed.

" _Training_." Her eyes widened further and she shook her head.

" _I am going back to sleep. Please just let me sleep._ " She hardly was aloud to get a good nights sleep at the compound, a couple more hours would do good. She hunched over the edge of the bed to retrieve the covers, but Bucky grabbed her ankle and she was yanked onto the floor with a thud. She praised the soft flooring in those moments, but even if it was softer than the blue mat it didn't seem very useful to spar on.

Bucky grabbed her by her long hair and lifted her up, she winced and struggled. She twirled around planting a foot against his side, he released her hair and meant to dig an uppercut into her gut. She evaded and rolled over the bed to make it into the bathroom, Bucky went after her. She went to slam the door, but his foot caught it and he buried his shoulder into it, shoving it open.

She went into a fighting stance, Bucky merely stared at her, sweat tumbling down his forehead. His hair still put back in a ponytail, a single strand hanging loosely above his left eye.

" _Can we not do this now?_ " She asked in between ragged breathes. He shook his head in response, gradually raising his fists up to take a stance. She took a deep breath, then jumped up off of the edge of the shower and threw a kick at Bucky. He dodged with ease and swept his feet under her, she fell onto her back. He dropped onto his knees beside her and threw his metal fist towards her face, she moved away just in time. His fist hit the tile floor, causing it to crack. Their eyes met for a moment of silence, then Marina decided it would be a good idea to get up.

She hopped up and went for the bathroom door, but Bucky grabbed her leg with his metal hand and she fell forward onto her elbows.

" _Stop!_ " She shouted, too scared to realize she had yelled it in German. Her hands fumbled towards her leg as she squirmed around on the floor. She rose her other foot up and kicked him in the face, his metal arm let go as his head shot to the side. She stood up and ran out of the bathroom, stopping at the center of the hotel room and looking for anything that could help her. She determined the kitchen would be a good place to find a weapon, but as she stepped towards it an arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her up. She was tossed onto the bed as though she was weightless. Just as he jumped onto her, straddling her waist, hands ready to grab her neck. The door into the suite was swung open, a man in staff uniform standing there.

Bucky and Marina looking up at him; Marina's eyes wide with surprise, Bucky's eyes as dispassionate as always. The man's cheeks turned red at the position both Bucky and Marina were in.

"I... I am desperately sorry for the interruption..." He muttered out with a nervous chuckle, Bucky got off of Marina, off of the bed and began stalking towards the hotel worker. He was thinking that the man was a spy or a killer of some sort. If Bucky killed this man it would ruin the entire mission.

"Sebastian, no." Marina yelped, she jumped off of the bed and ran up to stand beside Bucky. Breathless from their previous activities, she wrapped her arms around Bucky's arms and smiled at the man. "How can we help you?" She asked, the man tilted his head with a raised eyebrow.

"Excuse me, what did you say ma'am?" Marina turned red in the cheeks when she realized that the man couldn't understand her English it was so broken.

"She asked what you wanted?" Bucky snapped, the man gulped and held his hands together behind him.

"W-We were called about the noise, but clearly I interrupted more intimate activities. I apologize, but no one answered the door."

"That gives you no right to enter this suite without permission. Next time it happens-"

"Sebastian, please. Don't be so rude." Bucky glanced over at Marina, his eyes keen on her. His lips pursed and his face formed something of a scowl. The man looked at Bucky's metal arm as several people had since they arrived, but said nothing.

"We will try to keep it down, sir." The man held his ear out again because he still couldn't understand what Marina was saying.

"We will be less louder." Bucky explained for him between clenched teeth, his voice border lining a shout from a yell. The man nodded and backed away, to shaken by Bucky's dominating stature and personality to say anything else. He turned and closed the door behind him as it closed Bucky's arm violently shrugged away Marina's arms.

"You need to work on your English." He ordered, turning his back to start his way over to the window.

"Well..." She swallowed to keep the sobs, that were threatening to be released, at bay. She was so confused. One minute they were fighting, the other minute they weren't even acknowledging each other, the minute after that they were having some unhealthily constructed conversation with one another. Her mind couldn't make any sense of it. "I try my best, but-"

"You were born in California. You need to act American."

"But..." She stomped her foot down on the ground, it was mute and bare against the soft cushioned floor. She tilted her chin up. "I don't know what it means to be American." He stopped in his steps toward the door and turned to her. She shrunk immediately, crossing her arms over her chest and brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear. He then continued towards the window, looking outside of it and saying nothing again.

She huffed, feeling tears form at the corner of her eyes, she shook her head to aid in pushing them back.

"If I am to be your wife I have to get to know you and you aren't doing a very good job at letting me do that." She had trouble pronouncing 'letting', but managed. Bucky didn't respond, his eyes remaining outside the window. " _Permission to go back to sleep, sir._ "

She was numb.

" _Permission granted_." Bucky said, she went back to the bed and snuggled under the covers. Bucky turned off the lights shortly after, but he returned to his place at the window. She couldn't go back to sleep so she decided to just lay there and stare blankly at the bathroom door. They never said anything until the sun began to rise. She was empty.


End file.
